The Invisible Man Director Leigh Whannell Addresses Reviving the Classic Horror Film

Landing in theaters later this month is writer/director Leigh Whannell‘s The Invisible Man, a film that serves as a reimagining of the original 1933 movie in name only, as his film shifts the focus away from the titular character and over to his former girlfriend, who has become the target of his terror. With the original film being a beloved entry into the Universal Monsters franchise, attempting to reinvent the property could have been an intimidating task, but Whannell noted that, so long as he made sure he kept the film frightening, it would be difficult for fans to argue with his efforts.

“It didn’t hinder me. My one thought was, ‘People won’t be mad at me if they’re terrified,’” Whannell shared with ComicBook.com of approaching the familiar franchise. “All you have to do is scare people and they’ll quickly forgive you. But that’s a big hurdle to jump, so I wasn’t sure that I could scare them, but I knew if I did, I’d be okay. Hopefully I did, otherwise I’ll be hearing about it on social media.”

The original 1933 film is easily the most famous tale of a man unlocking the powers of invisibility, though a number of other projects have tapped into a similar vein of terror, with Whannell’s take on the concept being an approach no one had really explored on this level. The filmmaker admitted that, once he had the spark of inspiration for the premise, the film never deviated from that direction as he developed it.

“Every script is difficult but the actual idea, the direction I wanted to take it in, that was very early,” Whannell revealed. “This was an idea that was suggested to me, this wasn’t something where I was standing by, ready to make. I wasn’t like, ‘I’m burning to make an Invisible Man movie.’ Somebody suggested the title to me and basically just that suggestion triggered all these thoughts of how I could do the film. And that initial thought of the direction I would go in stayed through all the drafts and the finished movie you see really reflects that, which, as you know, is rare for a movie, for the idea to survive all those different iterations.”

Fans can see The Invisible Man when it lands in theaters on February 28th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!